Windshield wiper arm



Sept. 12, 1939. w. J. FOSTER 2,172,791

WINDSHIELD WIPER ARM Original Filed Aug. 21, 1933 Patented Sept. 12, 1939, g

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE William .1. Foster, rum,

assignments, to General Mich., minor, by mesne Motors Corporation,

Detroit, Mieln, a. corporation of Delaware Original 686,048. vDivided1936, Serial No.

Claims.

This invention relates to windshield cleaners.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved assembly ofrockshaft arm and cleaner blade. Y

A. further object is to produce such assembly which shall be eflicientin service'and economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be understood from the followingdescription.

In the drawing accompanying this description Fig. 1 is a transversesection through a vehicle windshield showing my novel assemblyassociated therewith, this view being taken on line i--i of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the windshield with my invention appliedthereto.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of the blade, holder and attaching clip.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation, partly broken away m and in section,showingthe'connection between the arm, the arm holder and the rockshaft.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the end 01' the rockshaft.

Fig. 6 is a perspective of the arm, detached. 35 Referring by referencecharacters to the drawing, numeral ll represents a windshield of a motorvehicle. ,Its position relative to the cowl l3 and the instrument boardI 5 is shown by Fig. l. The windshield is supported above a basel1located between the parts Beneath the base I1 is a hollow transverseboxlike member is. This member extends transversely as will beunderstood from an inspection Of Win 1"; v

Suitably mounted beneath extensions 2| oithe box 09 is a bracket 23having a tubular extension 25 within which is journaled a shaft 21. Thisshaft extends from a point beneath the instrument board forwardly andthrough the part [3, and to its end is secured the arm of the cleanerassembly to be described below. One or more of such shafts 21 may beused, depending upon Whether one or more cleaner elements are made useof. The drawing shows one such sh'af-t near one end of the windshield.In the event that two are used the second will be located near the otherend of the windshield as is customary.

The invention is not concerned with the operating mechanism. There areshown, however, means to rock shaft 21. On bracket 23 is a pivot pin 29which rotatably supports a gear segment 3!. The gear segment includes anarm 33 to a pin on which is pivotally connected a link 35. Thereciprocating movements of the link may be M produced by any desiredoperating mechanism,

l3 and l5-as shown. j

application August 21, 1933, Serial No. 8this application May 16,

and these reciprocating movements serve to rock the segment 3i. Theteeth of the segment mesh with the teeth of a pinion 31 mounted on shaft21.

The cleaner arm takes the form of a rod 26 6 shaped as shown in Fig. 6.Near one end the rod is bent as at 39 to form a long legend a short leg.The shorter leg is formed with an eye ll. At .the end of the long leg,is a hook 43 near which as at E5 the rod is bent from the line of extentof its major portion. This bend. is provided so that the blade end ofthe rod may extend in a horizontal direction when at the end of itsstroke, at which time the major part of the rod does not quite reach thehorizontal position. In this way the blade on the end of the arm may beparked out of the line of vision of the operator.

The part 39 of the arm enters and rocks in an elongated groove" at theend of shaft 21. At 49 this groove is shown as cut through the mate-:rial of the shaft, this aperture serving to receive and locate theextreme end of the part 39 of the red as shown in Fig. 4. There is thusdetermined a pivot point for the arm as it swings in the roove.

At 5! is a cover of substantially U-shape in cross section. The coverhas a closed end 53 surrounding" the end of shaft 21. The eye 4| of thearm is secured to the cover as by a rivet 55 or other suitable attachingmeans. The long leg 80 of the arm extends through the cover and beyondits open end as at 51. A spring 59 is secured at. its ends to the coveras at ti and to the shaft 21 as at $3. In this way the part 39 of thearm is held firmly in the opening d9 of the groove d1, 86 thus providinga definite fulcrum forthe arn-l. The elongated dimension of the groovepermits the spring 59 to rock the arm clockwise (Fig. 4) about its pivotat 69 to thereby hold the blade, which is carried on the end of the arm,firmly 4.0 against the windshield.

The blade comprises a holder and one or a plurality of wiping elementsand spacing means 61. The blade holder is designated bynumeral 69. Itisof U-shape in section and serves to 45" clamp the wiper elements andspacers. The extremities of its side walls are bent back as at 1i tothereby stiiTen the holder. A U-shaped attaching member or clip 13 isemployed to con-- nect the blade holder to the arm. The side walls so ofthe clip 13 lie adjacent the side walls of the "holder and are grippedby the bent-over ends 16 as shown. The attaching member isthus heldfirmly in engagement with the holder. The side walls of the clip 13 areconnected by a short on bridge portion 11 vunder which is received thehooked end 43 of the arm as shown in Fig. 1. These side walls arepinched as at 19 to provide an efiicient bearing boss or sh ulder 80 forthe engagement of the hook 43. Furthermore there are pressed in regions8| which engage the side walls of the hook and guide it, to the end ofminimizing any tendency of the blade and holder to flop at itsconnection with the arm. There are thus three regions of contact toprevent or minimize any undesired blank movement.

The operation will be obvious upon inspection. As the shaft 21 rocks toand fro the wiper elements clean the region of the windshield shown ascleared on Fig. 2. Spring 59 holds the part 39 of the arm firmly in theopening 49 and also exerts a force tending to rock the arm in such adirection as to hold the wiper firmly yet resiliently against the glass.The tendency of the blade to flop about its connection with the arm" asit sweeps in opposite directions is minimized by the portions 8i of themember I1. Also, the walls of the clip formed by the pinched portions 19afford an eflicient bearing boss for the curved part of the hook 43.

This application is a division of my application Serial Number 686,048,filed August 21, 1933.

I claim:

1. A windshield wiper having a clip for attachmerit to a hook shapedcarrying arm, said clip having spaced sides and each side having withinits margins an inwardly offset flat faced portion arranged in oppositionto a companion offset portion in the opposite side and forming therewitha rounded shoulder enclosed by the sides and spaced from the back of thewiper to permit sliding engagement of the arm hook thereunder and aboutthe rounded shoulder, said shoulder preventing accidental displacementof said wiper from the arm hook, the fiat faces of the offset portionscontacting each other and serving to support the spaced sides at pointswithin the body lines of the clip.

2. A windshield wiper having a U-shaped clip inverted over the backthereof, the spaced sides of the clip straddling the wiper body andhaving inwardly offset portions contacting each other to support thesides apart at points within the body lines of the clip and spaced fromthe wiper body, said sides having portions pressed inwardly beneath theofiset portions and spaced apart to receive the attaching portion of themounting arm.

3. A windshield wiper having an arm attaching part comprising opposingsides spaced apart to receive a hooked terminal of a wiper carrying arm,said wiper having an arm bearing portion between the spaced sides onwhich the carrying arm is adapted to bear during wiping operation, saidsides being formed with inwardly offset portions opposing each other andarranged in contact with one another to provide an arouate boss withinthe confines of the side walls for laterally bracing the latter, saidboss being spaced outwardly from said bearing portion to slidablyreceive the hooked terminal of the arm ther'ebetween,whereby the arm isslidably retained between the bearing portion of the wiper and thebraced side walls of the attaching part.

4. A windshield wiper having a clip for attachment to a hook shapedcarrying arm, said clip having spaced sides and each side having withinits margin an inwardly offset flat faced portion arranged in oppositionto a companion oflset portion in the opposite side and forming therewitha shoulder, said offset portions being enclosed by the sides and spacedfrom the back of the wiper to permit sliding engagement of the arm hookunder and about said shoulder, the fiat faces of the offset portionscontacting each other and serving to'support the spaced sides at pointswithin the body lines of the clip, said shoulder preventing accidentaldisplacement of said wiper from the arm hook.

5. A windshield wiper having an arm attaching means comprising opposingside members spaced apart to receive a hooked terminal of a wiper Icarrying arm, said wiper having an arm bearing portion between thespaced sides on which the carrying arm is adapted to bear during wipingoperation, said sides being formed with inwardly ofiset portionsopposing each other and arranged in contact with one another to providea boss within the confines of the side walls for laterally bracing thelatter, said boss being spaced outwardly from said bearing portion toslidably receive the hooked terminal of the arm therebetween, wherebythe arm is slidably retained between the bearing portion of the wiperand the braced side walls of the attaching part.

WILLIAM J. FOSTER.

